Abesheet-American

As of 2 pm this afternoon, I am officially a black American citizen [who has “absolutely and entirely renounced and abjured all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen”]

To show for it, I have in my possession:

a Naturalization Certificate.

Copy [of a copy of a copy] of President Obama’s congratulation letter – on a White House note-pad if I may add 🙂

A note book on The Constitution and what it means to be an American citizen

A small flag – seen herewith in the company of my YeFederalist Ethiopia bandira, a miniature Egyptian pyramid – from Egypt; a pen my brother Tagel wove for me while he was in prison (and still not talking to me) a decade or so ago – way before I was married to an American and had any intension of crossing over here – and my favorite sini of all times

And a golden-emblemed, real classy, folder to hold it all

And all I had to do was read and write “Colombus Day is in October”.

No kidding! That was the reading and writing part – put together!

Infact, the hardest part of the interview wasn’t the reading, the writing or answering 10 out of the 100 questions on American Government and American history I had to memorize. The hardest part was remembering the stuff I put on my application: dates and places of residence; where I worked, when I got divorced and got my green card. [Ofcourse — not lying on your original documents always helps!!]. My interviewer was cute, friendly and non-judgmental. He didn’t scowl even when I mistook my October 30th birthday for 10th of October, “because I am used to writing it like that”, I apologized promptly. Thirty minutes later, I was out the door with a huge smile and an oath-ceremony qetero for the same afternoon.

After the oath ceremony, where I was one of three Oathees ..[Oathers …Oath-takers…] who weren’t surrounded by family and friends [Troy has to go back to work after dropping me there and my cousin was somewhere I don’t want to reach her at] I decided to lift my spirit by treating myself to some organic sandwich and expensive coffee. While eating and waiting for my shoes to dry, I felt melancholic. Not because I won’t be voting tomorrow and save democrats from themselves; or even because I don’t seem to have any “metasebia” of the two important days in my life in America – February 19, 2009 and November 3rd, 2014. But because, despite feeling more at home here than I ever did in Ethiopia; and having worked hard, and waited on pins and needles for the interview appointment for months, to become a citizen; all I can think of, sited in that cozy chair at Panera’s, looking out at the world and the pouring rain, was “Anchi addis abeba mayetun tewsh woyi? Asadgegesh sitefu yetalu atyim woy?”

I don’t see what all the congratulations are for. It’s not like Abesheet, excuse me, Amerikit, 🙂 did not have a citizenship at the beginning 😦 And couldn’t the flags have been put side by side?

All I want to say is happy belated birthday!

You can call me sanctimonious in 1,2,

8.laila | November 5, 2014 at 9:19 pm

haha u are so mean andthree.

9.abesheet | November 6, 2014 at 2:52 am

An old android phone with a smallish screen, andthreeye. No other reason. Yeah.. when you put it that way, the congratulations do sound weird.

10.laila | November 6, 2014 at 10:05 pm

I am sorry, do not read too much in to things.

11.Chuchu | November 8, 2014 at 6:52 am

You won’t be able to appreciate what it means to be a citizen unless you have come through a student visa or tried to stay here on an expired visitor visa. I know so many Ethiopians doing manual labor job and being treated like they were sub-human because they don’t even have a green card. Not to mention yalfilignal eyale beyemengedu yemikerewn. So congratulations, abesheetye. Thank you for “merkato sefere”. A very sweet song with the most touching story behind it.

12.Wello dessie | November 19, 2014 at 7:22 am

The only point of becoming a citizen is so you can petition family. People think it’s this and that but really it’s disappointing. Anyway… enkuan tesakalesh, abesheet. I always thought you were more western than Ethiopian so it makes sense to congradulate you 🙂